Airline passengers left stranded

All flight operations at O'Hare International and Midway airports remained grounded as of Tuesday afternoon, although the airports technically remained open.

However, a Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman said she doesn't expect service to resume for at least two days. Resumption of service would require a go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration.

She said about 250 flights either took off or landed this morning before O'Hare was closed. The last arrival was at 10 a.m.; departures were canceled at 8:30 a.m.

The 250 morning flights represent less than 10% of the 2,700 flights scheduled to arrive and depart each day.

An undetermined number of passengers remained at O'Hare Tuesday afternoon, either because their planes were diverted en route to other cities or because their flights from O'Hare were canceled.

Many had left the terminals; those who remained will be aided, if necessary, by the Red Cross, the Salvation Army or the city's own programs at O'Hare, the spokeswoman said.

In the first hours after receiving word of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., O'Hare International Airport was a strange mix of chaos, frustration and desolation.

Tuesday morning the airport had closed off all of the gates and passengers were being asked to leave the facility. Some were still attempting to rebook their tickets, but airline officials were telling passengers there is no word on when flights will resume.

The Red Cross and Salvation Army were on standby to assist passengers who could not find hotel rooms, the spokeswoman said. Airport officials were also considering breaking out the airport's supply of cots.

There were long lines at car rental facilities as passengers sought alternate ways out.

Meanwhile Tuesday morning, other areas of O'Hare normally bustling during top weekday travel periods were virtually desolate, as passengers had filtered out of gate areas and headed for the exits.

John MacRonald, a salesman from North Carolina, was shaken. He was en route from Washington, D.C., to Vancouver, British Columbia, when the pilot of his Northwest Airlines plane came on the public address system and told passengers, "We're landing right now." The pilot then told passengers the details of the New York disaster. "It scared the s--t out of me," said Mr. MacRonald. The plane made an emergency landing at O'Hare, and Mr. MacRonald was stuck at the airport Tuesday morning. "I'm driving home. I'm not getting on a plane tomorrow," he said.

Edward Hamilton was aboard a flight set to depart O'Hare for Providence, R.I., Tuesday morning when the plane was ordered back to the gate. Mr. Hamilton, who works for a rum trading company based in the Caribbean, acknowledged the inconvenience but said he was relieved once he learned about the disaster in New York. "We could be in a lot worse place if we had taken off," he said.

Meanwhile, a Lafayette, Ind., couple trying to get to their daughter's wedding in Portland, Ore., were grounded Tuesday morning. They were worried the 35 wedding guests traveling from as far away as Germany would not make it in time for the Saturday beachfront ceremony. James and Pamela Detamore said Northwest Airlines officials told them they couldn't predict when they would be able to leave. "They're saying it's like the weather: Just watch TV," Ms. Detamore said.

Two travelers stuck at O'Hare Tuesday morning, meanwhile, had become, as they put, "fast friends" because of their mutual plight.

Germaine Brown, a retiree from Mobile, Ala., was returning from her father's funeral in Grand Rapids, Mich., when her connecting flight was canceled. Theresa Delporto, another retiree from Marysville, Calif., was headed to her mother's funeral in Georgia.

The women were separated from their carry-on luggage, which, in both cases, contained vital medicines. Police were attempting to reunite them with their baggage.

"I have a feeling this is going to get worse," Ms. Delporto said.

The chaotic situation at O'Hare was not unique.

"We're just shutdown until further notice, like everybody else," says Paul Karas, administrator of the Chicago/Gary Airport, who used to work for the Port Authority of New York, which is based in the World Trade Center.

"Frankly, I don't even want to think about it. It's just unbelievable."